Caviar team mulling over Glorious clash

Updated: Thursday, 05 Apr 2012 19:19

Black Caviar is likely to make her first British start in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot

Australian sensation Black Caviar is only likely to run in the Qipco Sussex Stakes if connections feel it is the right thing to do with the unbeaten mare, regardless of a £1million carrot being dangled for a clash with Frankel.

The big-race sponsors have pledged to up the prize-money for the Group One mile event from its current £300,000 - if Frankel and Black Caviar, the world's top two horses, turn up at Glorious Goodwood on 1 August.

Black Caviar, who is on a 19-race winning streak, has been campaigned at sprint distances, running just once at seven furlongs and never at a mile.

Her trainer Peter Moody told Sky Sports News: "It's a great initiative from the sponsors and it's certainly something we will consider strongly.

"This mare has raced in races we thought best suited to her through her whole career and the million wouldn't sway us. If we thought she was in good form and ready to go we would consider it.

"We've always thought strongly she would handle 1600 metres, if not 2000, but she is such a hulk of a mare so whether she would cope with the training for that is more of a concern than the race.

"We are fortunate in that we have a lot of big-money contests in Australia that she is eligible to run in and if we did keep her in Britain after Royal Ascot we would miss a lot of those at our spring carnival, so there's lots to consider.

"I'm probably a bit like Henry Cecil, it doesn't worry me one way or another (who people think is the best horse), it is just opinion.

"We are very proud of our mare. Neither Frankel or Black Caviar will probably meet outside of our comfort zones. We don't have a great need to meet Frankel but don't read that as us being afraid of him. It would be great for the sport but not detrimental to either horse if it didn't happen.

"The two races we are looking at for her are the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket. She would have to come through both races really well to consider it (the Sussex Stakes).

"She's a pleasure to have around the place, she is in great form. She is back in training and getting ready to run in four weeks' time, she will probably have two prep runs before Royal Ascot.

"We took great heart from Ortensia winning in Dubai and each time she has met our mare she has finished a considerable distance behind.

"We think we may be meeting inferior (sprint) opposition in Britain but against that we are having to travel three quarters of the way around the world."